A lot of that had to do with the Panthers' stout defense; another portion of those struggles might have had to do with Tampa missing offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, who recently underwent an undisclosed medical procedure.

Tedford has missed time leading up to the season and could only work part-time last week. He did not call plays Sunday. Not having the head conductor can hinder even the best orchestra.

However, Tedford returned to work full-time on Monday.

"He's in the office. He was in here early this morning," coach Lovie Smith said, per the Tampa Bay Times. "Full-time, ready to go, leading the meetings and we hope we're back on track. We need Jeff out there of course.''

On Sunday against the Panthers, the Bucs had only 15 offensive plays, two first downs and 83 total yards in the first half before finally breaking through in the second half.

Tedford's return should pay its biggest dividends with the game-planning and play-calling. However, he still needs better play from quarterback Josh McCown -- and there is that nasty problem of an offensive line to address.

For the Bucs, getting their maestro back should be a step towards unleashing their full offense going forward.